Wire fabric.



H. RICHARDSON.

WIRE FABRIC. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 14, 1913.

1,095,521 Patented May 5,1914.

n I. I 49 165 1 n a E 19 I a 27 Q nlll Wmm 3 structure, and in the novelbent wire unit STAd VTIRE FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

Application filed July 14, 1913. Serial No. 778,885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RICHARDSON, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVireFabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fabrics and has reference moreparticularly to wire link fabrics of the kind at present extensivelyused to form the bottoms of beds, couches, and like articles offurniture.

More specifically, my invention relates to that type of wire linkfabrics which is characterized structurally by the use of parallellongitudinal rows of interconnected bent wire units or links that areconnected transversely at intervals by wire cross links.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a construction ofthis type characterized by a. high degree of simplicity and economy ofmanufacture, and which, at the same time, will permit of the use of amuch smaller and lighter wire than has heretofore been practicable inarticles of this character, thus reducing both the weight by effecting avery considerable reduction of the article and its cost of manufacturein the amount of metal going into the same. This object I attain by anovel construction which permits the use of a much lighter gage wirewithout involving any decrease or loss of the required tensionalstrength of the fabric to sustain'the strains to which it is subjectedin service; and the novel structural feature whereby I secure thisresult resides mainly in the avoidance anywhere in the longitudinalstrands of open hooks or loops that are liable to pull out under strain,this being effected by anchoring the terminal portions of the wiresforming such hooks or loops to the main tension member of the wire linkor unit.

Wit-h this and other minor objects in view, my invention resides in thenovel fabric forming the basis thereof, substantially as hereinafterdescribed and definitely pointed out in the claims.

A fabric representing a practical embodiment of my invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top planview of a port-ion of a bed bottom frame equipped with my improved wirefabric, the latter being broken out between its ends. Fig. 2 is an edgeview of Fig. 1 as shown from the right of the latter figure, with theend bars of the frame appearing in cross section. Fig. 3 is afragmentary top perspective detail view, somewhat enlarged, of theinterconnected parts of two adjacent links of a strand, showing also thecross links; and Flg. 4. is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of theparts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates one of the longitudinal bars ofthe bed bottom frame, and 11 and 12 the end crossbars, united to thelongitudinal bars by rivets 18. The end bars 11 and 12 have upstandingflanges apertured as usual for the reception of the end hooks of theusual helical springs 14 and 15, through which the ends of the bedbottom fabric are commonly united with the cross bars of the frame tofurnish the desired resilience and elasticity.

Referring now to the fabric itself, in which the novel features of thepresent invention reside, this fabric is made up, as 'to itslongitudinal strands, of duplicate bent wires units, each of which inthe preferred form here shown, comprises a two-ply tension member with aterminal loop joining the limbs of said two-ply tension member at oneend of the unit and a two-ply terminal loop at the other end of the unithaving the terminal portions of the wires forming the same anchored tothe tension member, the adjacent loops of adjacent units in eachlongitudinal strand being interlooped; and the said longitudinal strandsare then flexibly connected transversely by cross links which are hookedat their ends through the first mentioned terminal loops of the units orlinks of the longitudinal strands.

Describing the structure somewhat more in detail, and referring to thedrawings, 16 and 17 designate straight, parallel lengths of wireconstituting the two limbs of a twoply tension member forming the mainbody portion of the unit. These limbs are connected at one end by anintegral single-ply loop 18 that extends lengthwise of the unit.Preferably, and as herein shown, the limbs 16 and 17 are twistedtogether at the inner end or base of the loop 18, as shown at 18, toprevent spreading of said limbs and the sides of the loop 18 undertransverse stretching strains, as well as to confine the ends of thecross-links against displacement. At the other end of the member 16 thewire is bent downwardly and thence upwardly across itself (Fig. 3)forming one member 19 of a two-ply loop at this end of the ten sionmember, the wire extending thence directly across the lower end of thetension member and being thence turned under and clenched to the latteras shown at 20. At the same end of the member 17 the wire is similarlybent downwardly and thence upwardly across itself (Fi 4), forming theother member 21 of the two-ply loop, the wire extending thence directlyacross the tension member in the opposite direction from the extensionof loop 19 and being similarly bent beneath and clenched to the tensionmember as shown at 22. As will be observed by reference to Fig. 3, inthe described formation the hooked terminal portion 22 of the loop 21crosses the hooked terminal portion 20 of the loop 19.

23 designates the cross links which are simply short straight lengths ofwire having hooked ends Qt (Figs. 3 and 4) that engage the tenminalloops 18 of the units making up adjacent longitudinal strands.

The mode in which the units or links are connected up in the fabric isreadily apparent from the drawing. The single-ply loops 18 of thetransverse row of units at one end of the fabric are engaged by thehooks of the adjacent row of helical springs, and the two-ply loops 19,21 of the other transverse end row of units are likewise engaged withthe hooks of the adjacent row of helical springs. Between the end rowsthe singleply loops 18 of each transverse row are interlooped with thetwo-ply loops 19, 21 of the next adjacent transverse row of units; and,as stated, the single-ply loops 18 formed in adjacent longitudinalstrands are flexibly connected by the cross links 23.

The described construction provides a fabric of the well known generaltype employing longitudinal strands and separate cross lin (8 connectingthe same, but entirely dispenses with open hooks or loops in thelongitudinal strands, thus permitting the use of a much lighter or finerwirethan has heretofore been possible without any sacrifice of strength,owing to the secure anchoring of the terminal portions of the two-plyloop at one end of each tension member to the tension member itself. Ihave found by test that a fabric embodying the construction herein shownand described has a strength fully equal to that of a fabric employingdouble the weight of wire and similarly constructed except for theemployment of hooks having free or unconnected ends in lieu of theanchored twoply loop of the present construction.

I claim- 1. A wire link fabric made up of integral bent wire unitsarranged in longitudinal and transverse rows, each of said unitscomprising a twoply tension member, a loop joining the limbs of saidtwo-ply tension member at one end of the unit, and a twoply loop at theother end of the unit having the terminal portions of the wires formingthe same anchored to said tension member, adjacent loops of adjacentunits in the same longitudinal strand being interlooped, and cross-linksflexibly connected at both ends to said first named loops of laterallyadjacent units.

2. A wire link fabric made up of integral bent wire units arranged inlongitudinal and transverse rows, each of said units comprising atwo-ply tension member, a loop joining the limbs of said two-ply tensionmem ber at one end of the unit, and a two-ply loop at the other end ofthe unit having the terminal portions of the wires forming the sameextended in opposite directions across and clenched to said tensionmember, adjacent loops of adjacent units in the same longitudinal strandbeing interlooped, and cross-links engaged with and connecting saidfirst named loops of laterally adjacent units.

3. A wire link fabric made up of integral bent wire units arranged inlongitudinal and transverse rows, each of said units comprising atwo-ply tension member, a loop joining the limbs of said two-ply tensionmenr her at one end of the unit, said limbs being twisted together atthe inner end or base of said loop, and a two-ply loop at the other endof the unit having the terminal portions of the wires forming the sameextended across and clenched to said tension member, adjacent loops ofadjacent units in the same longitudinal strand being interlooped, andcross-links engaged with and connecting said first named loops oflaterally adjacent units.

4. As an article of manufacture, an integral bent wire unit, comprisinga two-ply tension member, a loop joining the limbs of said two-plytension member at one end of the unit, and a twoply loop at the otherend of the unit having the terminal portions of the wires forming thesame anchored to said tension member.

5. As an article of manufacture, an integral bent wire unit, comprisinga two-ply tension member, a loop oining the limbs of said two-plytension member at one end of the unit, and a two-ply loop at the otherend of the unit having the terminal portions of the wire forming thesame extended in opposite directions across and clenched to said tensionmember.

6. As an article of manufacture, an in tegral bent wire unit, comprisinga two-ply tension member the limbs of which are twisted together at oneend, a loop forming an integral extension of the twisted limbs of saidtension member, and atwo-ply loop forming an extension of the other endof said tension member, the terminal portions of the Wires forming saidtwo-ply loop being clenched to said tension member.

7. As an article of manufacture, an integral bent Wire unit, comprisinga pair of main longitudinal limbs, a cross connection between said limbsat one end of the latter, and terminal loops at the other ends of saidlimbs respectively, the free end portions of 10 the Wires forming saidterminal loops being firmly secured directly to said main longitudinallimbs.

HENRY RICHARDSON.

/Vitnesses:

JOYCE M. Ln'rz, MARY M. LEPPO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Eatents,

. Washington, I). C.

